Tangy tomato okra soup

If you’re like me, and you don’t see 33-degree Celsius weather as a reason not to indulge in a hot bowl of soup, this recipe is for you. It’s simple, and it doesn’t have too many seasonings. It doesn’t need to — summer’s fresh bounty adds flavor enough.

One thing this soup is not is gummy. One of the excuses people have for not liking okra is the viscous sap. Fortunately, that can be done away with by frying the okra. The okra is fully cooked in olive oil before it is added to the soup, which leaves only the okra flavor, and none of that gumbo-type texture. (Of course, if you want a gumbo, you can just throw the okra into the tomato base and let it boil until done.)

Remove the stems from the okra and dice into short segments. Fry in a thick frying pan with some olive oil, stirring occasionally — you don’t need to deep-fry the okra, but you will want to cook it until soft. In the meanwhile, you can cook the rest of the soup.

Dice the onion and fry in some olive oil in a thick-bottomed pot. When it begins to become transparent, add the garlic, also diced (or crushed). Add the tomatoes, chopped.

Add enough water to cover the tomatoes, the lemon juice, the turmeric and the salt. Add the chopped parsley leaves as well. If you want, you can tie the stems into a bunch and put them in the pot to simmer for extra flavor, and remove them at the end. Cover the pot and let simmer until the tomatoes soften.

By now, the okra should be fully cooked. Add into the tomato soup base, and let simmer some more, so that the okra absorbs the flavor.

Hi Robin, I didn’t put water in the ingredient list (maybe I should have), but I do indeed add water — enough to cover all the other ingredients. It appears in the cooking instructions instead. As a rule, I don’t like to use broth, but you could if you like.

Tomatoes are one of the most common vegetables all over the world. They are quickly growing plants and are favorite among most amateur gardeners so as me.
I will start to grow tomatoes in my farm and now learning watever i can about them, thanks for information.

I just made this recipe. Thanks for suggesting frying the okra first. I had no lemon, but I added lemon grass and some crushed red pepper for additional flavor. Note to others: add as much water as you like, if you prefer a less thick soup.
Thanks again, Liz!
ps – I’m in Indiana

This recipe sounds great! Too bad this is December instead of July, so I would have fresh okra and tomatoes on hand… Why is it that soup weather and garden weather are always 6 months apart? I use a new variety of okra called Heavy Hitter. It has a great flavor and texture for soups and gumbo. It’s so crisp we eat it raw right there in the garden. There’s nothing like fresh, crisp, okra to settle your stomach early in the morning on a gorgeous Summer day. I wish I had some right now, or else I’ll be thinking of tangy okra and tomato soup all day.